Never Too Late
by soundlessAria
Summary: Akashi isn't one to think of such puzzling things like love. It's just a waste of precious time, he thought. That is, until his heart signaled 'green.' [AkaKuro Week 2016 Day 3]
Here comes the third day of our beloved OTP's week!

I'm actually enjoying this year's **AkaKuro Week!** Especially, since this is the first time I participated on this event.

Let's all continue to have fun contributing our works and spread the AkaKuro love~ **[** **ღ** **ゝ◡╹** **)** **ノ** **(** **｡･** **ω** **･｡** **)]**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroko no Basuke. Fujimaki Tadatoshi-sensei owns it. The only thing I own is this story.

I do not own the cover photo either. Credits go to their respective owners.

 **Warning:** Grammatical errors, unbetaed, and limited vocabulary. (Yeah, all of my works have the same warning lol.)

* * *

 **Never Too Late**

* * *

Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means go fast and take the risk.

Akashi Seijuurou isn't the type to make fluffy, cavity-inducing confessions. To tell you the truth, he hasn't even felt any sort of attraction towards someone else, since his birth. Ironically, people seem to be charmed by him. He has been confessed to countless times– quite a few coming from the same sex. Hell, Akashi isn't even one to think of such puzzling things like love. It's just a waste of precious time, he thought.

That is, until his heart signaled _green_.

It happened on a certain evening during his first year of middle school.

The season felt warm as the wind rubbed against his cold skin. The blooming petals looked beautiful in his eyes, giving color to his bleak world. The birds' song sounded like a profound melody to his once uncaring ears.

The moment he laid his eyes on Kuroko Tetsuya, his senses instantly perked, his interest piqued down to its roots.

Akashi was attracted to the bluenette's calm mien which the latter always wore, despite the number of feelings he can feel Kuroko kept inside of him. Worry, Insecurity, Surprise, Excitement. He felt a rainbow of feelings coming from the bluenette. It brought him a sense of tranquility.

Kuroko was like an enigma. One moment, Akashi understands him, then, he doesn't. It weaved a string of emotions inside Akashi, causing the mechanical life, he thought, he'd live by forever, to stir.

Kuroko is good-natured. He is the very definition of a benevolent saint. He puts his companions' welfare before him. One time, Akashi recalled, they were having a practice match with an aggressive team. Their opponents were targeting their team's newly-joined member, Kise Ryouta, provoking him every time a chance comes. The moment came when their enemy had their wits at end, and they became open on their savage advances. One member acted to lose his balance when they were rebounding for a ball. He was about to fall over Kise when the yellow-haired teen heard a shout from his side. It was Kuroko who came running and pushed the Copycat out of the way. Akashi saw the very moment the guy toppled over Kuroko. The bluenette yelped out a cry of pain as he remained unmoving under the guy who, Akashi noticed, was smirking. The moment the sound of the whistle blew, the red-haired captain hurried over towards the incident. Akashi's mind became dyed with black when he saw the bluenette's injury. Good thing, Kuroko got away with only a sprained ankle. However, this didn't disperse the dark aura which Akashi began to emit. Their opponent suffered a crushing defeat, in the end, courtesy of the Emperor. Akashi regretted nothing.

Kuroko looked captivating in his eyes. The way his teal locks flutter with the wind as they run laps around the school; the way his eyes blink every time he talks to the redhead; the way his beads of sweat trickle down from his temple after finishing the harrowing regimen Akashi had specially prepared for him– Akashi loved them all.

He liked the way Kuroko deadpans, then, blushes at the slightest touch of their skins. Akashi thought– knew– he has the chance, but he didn't work through it. Yet. He wanted to build a stronger relationship with the bluenette before he tells him about his feelings. Yes, Akashi actually thought of confessing.

However, on their third year of middle school, everything went spiraling down…

The Generation of Miracles' talents started to bloom. Their once powerful bond began crumbling into pieces. Akashi lost sight of his own self and transformed into someone else– the sleeping persona inside him completely took over his body.

Kuroko believed that, someday, his teammates will realize what they were doing. It will surely come. He believed… and believed… and believed…

Then, came the time when their team fought against Kuroko's childhood friend's team. Teikou completely took control of the game where, unfortunately, Kuroko hadn't participated in because of an incident against a different team, which caused him to sit out of the game.

The scoreboard read: _**111-11**_. His teammates manipulated the score to show Meikou that they don't even stand a chance against them, since the very beginning.

The numbers repeatedly flashed inside Kuroko's head, horrifyingly so. He watched as his friend, Ogiwara Shigehiro, helplessly stood in defeat, the cheerful glint on his eyes was replaced with a look of vulnerability.

Kuroko's belief that his teammates will return fell apart. Kuroko can't see them anymore. Kuroko can't hear their voices anymore.

Akashi looked over at the crying bluenette. It was the first time he saw Kuroko so weak and paralyzed. He felt a pang in his heart, but he just shrugged it off. _I can't keep fooling myself that such feelings can save us. This… is for the best._

On his heart, a red light forcibly flashed.

.

.

.

Kuroko resigned from the basketball team after that.

.

.

.

A year had passed since that incident.

Akashi finally met Kuroko again. However, this time, he was standing on the other side of the court. The two of them are now playing for a different team.

The bluenette and his team struggled for victory. Akashi broke him, but he stood his ground and picked up his pieces.

 _Ahh… How come I still can't let you go, despite trying hard to push you away?_

The battle brought out the original persona Akashi has… and everything felt like that time on their first year of middle school. The way his vision finds its way towards the bluenette; the way his heart flutters at the bluenette's smile; the way the bluenette's skin felt against his hand as the game ended with Kuroko's team winning– everything felt like the first time.

As Seirin was leaving the court, Akashi's sight trailed at the bluenette's back.

Unguarded, his teammates noticed the look of longing Akashi was giving. He has been absent-mindedly wiping his sweat, looking as if he was containing something deep inside his chest.

"Sei-chan?" Mibuchi Reo, Rakuzan's shooting guard called out with a look of concern.

Akashi didn't seem to have heard this and kept looking at Kuroko's retreating team.

Mibuchi followed his captain's gaze, and the realization hit him at that very moment. _Ohh…_ He grinned at his discovery. He was about to speak when one of his teammates stole the spotlight from him.

"I suggest you go after him now, before it's too late," Mayuzumi Chihiro, Rakuzan's phantom indifferently advised, without even looking at his captain, while also wiping his own sweat.

"Ah! You stole the words from my mouth!" Mibuchi complained which Mayuzumi just disregarded in exasperation.

Akashi lowly chuckled. "It's already too late," he quietly muttered.

"Nothing… is ever too late. I can't believe you, the great Akashi Seijuurou, are saying something like that. You're seriously creeping me out," Mayuzumi fetched his water bottle and drank from it.

"Ah! You stole my lines again! Well, except for the last part," Mibuchi whined, scowling at Mayuzumi.

 _Nothing is ever too late, huh?_

"Hnn? Nani, nani?" Hayama Kotarou, their team's small forward joined the conversation, and familiarly placed his arms around Mayuzumi's shoulder.

"Tch," Mayuzumi brushed the action off with a click of his tongue.

"Che! Stingy," Hayama grumbled with a sulky expression.

Nebuya Eikichi, Rakuzan's center came after that, not even bothering to ask what the others are talking about. "Let's go grab something to eat!"

"You, gorilla-head. Can't you at least read the atmosphere?" Mibuchi's eye twitched. _Such kids, they don't even see the beauty of romance!_ He inwardly sighed. "Anyway, Sei-chan, you should go after Kuro-chan. Just hurry and get it over with!" Pushing Akashi's back, he bade.

"W-Wahhh! R-Reo-nee, what are you doing!?" Hayama trembled, his expression terrified. _R-Reo-nee's ordering Akashi!_ "The sun will begin to rise to the west tomorrow!" He fussed over, shivering.

Mayuzumi grumbled, glaring daggers at the loud Raijuu.

"Reo– Wait– What are you doing?" Akashi tried not to budge from his position.

"Ahh mou~! Just hurry up and do it, dammit!" Rakuzan basketball club's vice-captain uncharacteristically cursed, throwing Akashi's sling bag onto the wide-eyed redhead.

Their other teammates stared agape at the Yaksha, Mayuzumi included.

"Sei-chan's being a pain in the ass!" Mibuchi shrieked. "Stop acting like a kid. It's not like you!" He scolded with his arms akimbo.

Akashi blinked in surprise, as if he had just seen a ghost. He lowered his head, and quietly laughed at Mibuchi's motherly display.

 _Yellow, huh?_

The redhead sighed and picked up his bag. He, then, turned his back on his team. "I'll be back," Akashi announced and hurried off towards the Seirin's dugout's direction.

"I… don't understand what's happening," Hayama looked at Mibuchi, then at Akashi, then back at Mibuchi, then back at Akashi, and squinted his eyes in suspicion.

"Me either. All I know is that I'm hungry," as if right on cue, Nebuya's stomach made loud rumbling sounds. "See?"

"Ugh! That's disgusting, you muscle-head gorilla!" Mibuchi complained scowling at his teammate.

"What did you say!?" Nebuya countered.

The two ended up having a glaring contest with Hayama, whose dog ears seemed to have perked up, standing innocently between them.

Mayuzumi shook his head, not even bothering to stop his teammates from bickering. _Remind me, why am I in this team again?_ He inwardly groused, regretting his decision to join Rakuzan's basketball club for the nth time. Maybe he should do some self-reflection later with his light novels. Yeah, he'd do just that.

.

.

.

Akashi hurriedly ran after Seirin's basketball team. Good thing, they were recapping the events from the game, and were walking slowly. He saw the invisible phantom and noticed how he was just quietly trailing after his team.

Akashi's heart gave the yellow signal. "Kuroko!" He called out.

The source of his affection stopped and turned to face him. "Akashi-kun?" He asked, his face briefly held a look of surprise, before a smile crossed his lips.

Oh, how Akashi loves it when the love of his life flashes him that look.

"Do you need something?" Kuroko asked.

Akashi thought Kuroko let out a giggle when he saw the redhead's unkempt appearance. Akashi hurried to catch up to them, after all. He didn't even bother to completely wipe the remnants of sweat from their game earlier.

Sighing to find his voice, Akashi spoke. "Can I bother you for a bit?" He requested with a small smile.

Kuroko replied with a kind expression. "Of course. I don't mind."

Akashi's heart thumped at the bluenette's warmhearted countenance. This made the butterflies inside Akashi's stomach flutter, both in nervousness and anticipation. Kuroko is the only one who can make him feel this way. He placed his hand on his stomach, internally chuckling, and gazed on Kuroko's pools of blue. Akashi steeled his resolve.

 _Oh, well. It's now or never._

* * *

 **Author's notes:**

I'm rushing, I know. I'll be attending an anime convention this weekend and, yeah, I'm also rushing my props. /wrist/ orz

This is like the prequel to **Defenses Down!**

Feel free to leave a review. They supply my blood with oxygen. :D


End file.
